The work behind the sample
Be ready to discuss what drew you to the story, what readers respond to, what you would still reconsider, and what the sample says about your voice.
Prepare for an agent or manager meeting as a mutual working session: discuss the pages, plan, communication, terms, conflicts, and next decision.
General guidance, not legal, financial, or career advice, and not a recommendation of any firm. Agencies change who they represent and how they accept work, so confirm anything time-sensitive on the firm's own site before you act on it.
Direct answer
A representation meeting is a two-way test of taste, plan, trust, and working rhythm. Be ready to discuss the sample, your next projects, and the career you are trying to build. Ask how the representative would develop and position the work, communicate, handle submissions and offers, charge commission or expenses, resolve conflicts, and end the relationship if it stops working.
Know the sample they read, but do not rehearse a defense of every choice. Prepare a crisp account of what you write, two or three next projects, the kind of work and collaborators you are pursuing, and the practical questions that determine whether the relationship could function.
Be ready to discuss what drew you to the story, what readers respond to, what you would still reconsider, and what the sample says about your voice.
Have short, conversational versions of the next projects. A representative is evaluating whether the relationship has somewhere to go after one read.
Location, availability, existing commitments, collaborators, rights, and material already sent elsewhere can affect the plan. Surface them plainly.
Ask for a concrete first chapter: what they responded to, what they would change, where they see the sample going, what they would want you writing next, who would be involved, and how decisions get made. General enthusiasm is welcome; a working relationship also needs operating detail.
What do you think the script is doing? Where do you see the strongest opportunity? How do you give notes, and what happens when we disagree?
Would you revise before going out? Who would you approach, at what level of specificity can you discuss the strategy, and what would make you pause or change it?
Who is my day-to-day contact? How often do you normally speak with clients? Who covers when you are unavailable? Would other representatives or attorneys join?
What commission and expenses apply? Is the relationship exclusive? What is the term? How can either side end it, and what obligations survive termination?
Slow down when an unverified contact promises guaranteed access or employment, asks for urgent payment or sensitive personal information, will not put material terms in writing, discourages independent advice, or gives evasive answers about identity, company, clients, licensing, commissions, conflicts, and termination.
Understand every proposed fee or expense, who receives it, and why. Do not pay an unexpected contact simply to release a promised opportunity or secure employment.
Confirm the company through a separate channel, inspect the sender's domain, and use current guild or regulator resources where applicable. Do not rely on contact details supplied only in the approach itself.
A serious agreement can survive time for questions and appropriate legal advice. Artificial urgency makes that review harder.
Access claims without a view of the work, a submission rationale, or a communication process do not describe how the relationship will function.
Write down what was proposed while the conversation is fresh, send any promised material, and separate chemistry from unanswered terms. If an offer is made, ask for the agreement, review it, check references when appropriate, and clarify the first decisions before accepting.
Can you state the proposed revisions, submission sequence, next project, communication rhythm, and decision owners in plain language? If not, ask.
A current or former client can speak to communication and follow-through. A guild or regulator can clarify a current listing or rule. Neither replaces reading the agreement.
The end of a long search can make any yes feel decisive. Evaluate whether this is the person and plan you want representing the work after the celebration passes.
No. A general meeting may be an exploratory conversation about you and the work. If the representative is offering to work together, ask directly what is being proposed, when it begins, whether it is exclusive, and what document or next step makes it formal.
Yes—prepare short conversational versions of two or three next projects. They should show direction and range without turning the meeting into a stack of ten undeveloped pitches.
An entertainment attorney can explain how the actual agreement affects you, especially where terms, exclusivity, commissions, or local law are unclear. General online guidance cannot review your document or circumstances.
Current-source desk
These links support the role, search, outreach, and business-context guidance on this page. A directory entry never establishes current query policy; a general guide never reviews your agreement.
Writers Guild of America
Prepare for the working relationship after a representative says yes.
Writers Guild of America
Understand the WGA's current agency agreement and signatory framework.
California Department of Industrial Relations
Check California's current licensing information before relying on a title or sales pitch.
Federal Trade Commission
Recognize payment, identity, and unexpected-contact patterns common to entertainment scams.
Writers' Guild of Great Britain
Frame representative, writer, and producer relationships in a UK film context.
Browse the screenwriting representation desk
Role choice, live research, query preparation, meetings, and red flags
Agents vs. managers
Compare screenwriting agents and literary managers by services, working style, questions, and agreement terms—not a tidy Hollywood stereotype.
Find an agent or manager
Build a representation search from strong samples, live directories, verified fit, careful outreach, and a process you can sustain while writing.
Screenplay query letter
Write a concise screenplay query with clear project identity, a specific premise, truthful fit, useful context, and a simple request to read.